Windows Server Container Support in Azure Expands

• Services like Azure Kubernetes Service and Azure Container Instances have expanded support for Windows Server containers.
• Windows Server 2019 and recent updates to Kubernetes orchestration software have enabled additional uses.
• Linux containers are still more broadly supported and receive new features first, even within Azure.

Several Azure services have improved support for containerized Windows Server workloads. The improvements are enabled by new capabilities in Windows Server 2019 and updates to Kubernetes, a popular open source software solution that deploys, scales, and updates (orchestrates) containers running on a cluster of container hosts (nodes). Azure support for Windows Server containers still lags behind support for Linux. However, support for Windows Server containers is likely to improve as development continues and other enabling technologies arrive in Azure.

Container Support Advanced by Windows Server 2019

Docker containers package applications and the components the applications require for deployment across multiple servers in a reliable and reproducible way with less overhead and faster deployment than deploying on VMs but without the full isolation of VMs. Windows Server 2019, the latest Long-term Servicing Channel (LTSC) version of Windows Server, became available on Nov. 13, 2018, and includes several improvements for containerized applications and enhanced support for orchestration software that manages container deployments: